My Samoan dad raised us on old recordings of Hawai’ian comedians, like Rap Reiplinger, Don Ho and other Hawaiian artists. By the time I visited Hawai’i, I knew basic Hawai’ian Pidgin, and the proper ways and times to wear an ie lavalava, or “sarong” . I didn’t realize...
It’s early in the month of June, and families are already looking forward to celebrate Father’s Day. Like entering into the new millennium, my island Kingdom of Tonga has to beat the world in celebrating Father’s Day. In Tonga, Father’s Day is celebrated on the Sunday...
Hawaiian legend states that in the ancient past, the Hawaiian god Maui once went fishing. As he was fishing, his hook caught on the ocean floor. Thinking he’d caught a fish, Maui began to pull on his line, trying to raise his catch from the water. He pulled and...
Am I like a Samoan? Besides professional wrestling, I had never met or seen a Samoan person until I was in sixth grade. Seeing men like the Rock and Rikishi wrestler), or various other members of the Anoa’i Family, caused me to believe that all Samoans had larger than...
Every year on March 26 in the State of Hawaii we celebrate the birthday of Prince Kuhio. But who are we celebrating? He was known as a fascinating, internationally educated, charming, passionate man who spent the majority of his life serving his people – who he...
My oldest grandson is a mix of a lot of ethnicities–he is, on one half–Maori, Tongan, Hawaiian, Chinese, Samoan with traces of Fijian and on the other half a European mix from Norway to the Netherlands. His name reflects this mixture, influenced by his...
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